This is early on a deep winter morning in Byron Bay. The temperature had fallen all the way down to 12 degrees centigrade but this green tree frog found my outdoor spa just the perfect thing to maintain a comfortable balance by dipping his bum into 37 degrees and hanging onto the lid to prevent the formation of frog soup.
We happily shared the spa for about a week until winter had moved on and then so did the frog.
at first i thought this was a toy frog because it looks so unreal. so cute he is just hanging on like that.
By: Meander on June 6, 2008
at 8:45 pm
G’day Meander,
I put my camera in under the lid of the spa and took a few unsighted shots. I couldn’t see it at the time but it fairdinkum looks like this frog is using an opposable thumb to hold on.
Robert
By: p0et on June 6, 2008
at 10:06 pm
It looks as if it is climbing out after having a bath.
Oh, and what does “frog soup” mean?
By: Alexa Cohen on June 6, 2008
at 11:19 pm
Alexa,
I was joking that the frog had a delicate problem because the spa water was too hot and would have cooked him to death if he fell in but the air was too cold and he was gently just dipping the lower part of his body in the water.
Robert
By: p0et on June 7, 2008
at 4:32 am
Hm.
I’ve been living for too long too near a nation who actually cook frogs for dinner.
So when someone says frozen frogs/roasted frogs/thawed frogs/frog soup and such my mind wanders into a recipe and not a joke.
By: Alexa Cohen on June 7, 2008
at 4:51 am
This is an observant comment touching upon the ability to use humour to interpret a society.
Most Australians would consider the concept of eating frogs to be a matter of jest and the frog a quirky little creature to be protected.
Robert
By: p0et on June 7, 2008
at 6:32 am
I wouldn’t ever consider eating them or even cooking them.
Spaniards don’t consider them food – and Jews even less.
It’s one of those strange things our next-door neighbours The French do.
By: Alexa Cohen on June 7, 2008
at 7:25 am
i totally love this picture.. that little guy and his antics are adorable… i want so desperately to take some good pictures… but it is intensely hard to do sitting here at my keyboard……. LOL!!!
By: whypaisley on June 7, 2008
at 12:03 pm
It’s really nice of you to let the little creature share your bathtub… Erm, I mean, your spa.
I don’t think I’d like frog tea, but the pictures are great.
Heheh…
By: C.A.Margonper on June 7, 2008
at 1:26 pm
I´ve loved frogs always. I consider that they are very clever, and now i know it´s true.
May i use your spa too, please? I´m not a frog, but i think i can be clever for a few minutes… In my apartment there are only two baths full of water toys, but it´s not the same, is it?
By: titaju on June 7, 2008
at 2:37 pm
whypaisley
I reckon that it is difficult to take a photo of abstract concepts yet you have just given me a perfect picture of a desperate longing for intense art.
Robert
By: p0et on June 7, 2008
at 6:19 pm
C.A.Margonper,
I was utterly honoured to share my spa. If nothing else the frog told me that the water was very clean.
I repaid my debt by protecting Freddo from Butch and his brood of butcherbirds who had their sharp eyes out for a meal.
We build a few birdproof frog hotels from some ceramic pipe and Freddo and his mob are well established.
Robert
By: p0et on June 7, 2008
at 7:01 pm
titaju,
You may be required to hold scheduling discussions with Alexa Cohen and once you clear that insightful hurdle all you will need is a pass from the cheese and kisses and the tin lid and then I would be happy to share my spa and wild mates with you.
If you have two baths full of water toys you must still have tin lids of your own and they are more fun than a barrel of frogs. My tin lid is now a young woman but I still remember the fun we had when she was so little.
Robert
By: p0et on June 7, 2008
at 7:08 pm
Talk, talk and talk, but you say nothing about sharing the spa, only “perhps, if you..”
.
And forget about Alexa. She´s my eldest sister, so it´s easy to know why we´re always in disagree (in fact, we loved to each other too much, she is one of the reasons of my life).
By: titaju on June 7, 2008
at 8:33 pm
You are far more original than I am.
I am afraid I would have named the little frog fellow Kermitt.
By: Alexa Cohen on June 7, 2008
at 9:28 pm
Now this is going to sound inconsistent with my earlier statements regarding the non eating of frogs in Australia but there is one special exception.
In the early part of last century an Australian chocolate company decided to produce a chocolate animal and the idea was that it would be a mouse. This was immediately changed because nobody but the owner of the company thought that people would buy and eat chocolate mice.
Freddo Frog was created and this is now a standard name for frogs.
USAmerican culture does permeate my society but only to a very limited degree and most Aussies shy away from Americanisms or any isms other than our own.
This is no reflection on USAmericans simply an observation that there are many and varied forms of English and the one that I speak fluently is Australian.
Robert
By: p0et on June 8, 2008
at 6:12 am
You have reminded me of our Spanish little frog cakes.
They are made with two pieces of sponge cake glued with whipped cream and covered with dark chocolate.
The top is featured as a frog face with its mouth open red tongue sticking out and bulging eyeballs.
Somehow I didn’t connect the cakes with real frogs.
By: Alexa Cohen on June 8, 2008
at 7:45 am
Puajjjj!
Dark chocolate is good enough to be mixed with whipped cream.
Please, i´m going to have a nigthmare…
By: titaju on June 8, 2008
at 7:59 pm